Primadonna
by Chika Croi
Summary: #1 of the Ryuukatsu Project. Delves into Bulma's introduction, back story, mishaps, and her adventurous journey as she finds the first two dragon balls before running into Goku. Meanwhile, a 17-year-old Prince has to prove himself worthy enough to stay on board Frieza's ship, because if he doesn't, he'll die at the hands of the warlord himself.
1. The Cellar

**Author's Note:** Okay, so I finally went back and edited for all the mistakes I missed, which I should have done the first time. xD. So here's the updated version. Nothing's changed, like I said, I just edited it for grammar and spelling issues. Anyways, this is the first story for the Ryuukatsu Project. Which is my rewrite of the entire Dragon Ball Franchise, from season one of Dragon Ball all the way to season two of Dragon Ball GT. I don't want to make this Author's Note a million paragraphs long, so I'll skip any long explanations. If you want to find out what the Ryuukatsu Project is, all you have to do is go to the website either below or the link on my profile.

**ryuukatsu-project . webs . com**

There are only a few things you DO need to know before continuing.  
**TIMELINE CHANGES: **The Ryuukatsu Project has its own timeline. The Dragon Ball/Z/GT series takes place on Earth before the continents separated, which is the dinosaur age. Doesn't make sense, and I didn't see the point. So, I changed the timeline to modern day Earth, although it is set in the future.  
Important Dates: Vegeta was born in 2010. Bulma was born in 2011. Goku was born in 2015. Vegetasei is destroyed by Frieza in 2012. And the Dragon Ball portion of my series (this story) starts in 2027.

That makes Goku 12 years old. Vegeta is 17 years old (you'll find out why I'm including his age later). Bulma is 16 years old. Just so you guys get a feel of the timeline here.

Enjoy. Let me know what you think. Reviews make me happy. No reviews make me sad face.  
You wouldn't like me when I'm sad face. /stares hard

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it, I don't own it.

* * *

**Primadonna  
**_Chapter One: The Cellar_

She could not believe that her father was making her do this. With yet another frustrated sigh, Bulma Briefs moved another dust covered box in the equally dust covered cellar. Now that school was out for summer break, Bulma's parents thought it would be good for her to build some character, and her father thought chores were the best way to do this. With a groan the blue haired heiress pushed a rather heavy box into the corner of the room before turning around to face the others. She still had a mountain more to go. Of course, when her father said he wanted her to build character, what he really meant was that he was too lazy to come down here and do this himself.

"Typical," the sixteen-year-old muttered angrily. "The one week when all of the bots go under construction and that's when mom wants him to do this work, which he doesn't want to do so he of course makes me do it. Ugh, this should be considered child abuse." The cellar had always been a mess. It was large, like everything else in the compound, and filled to the brim with her father's old junk. Most of it was old inventions or old blueprints that never made it to the drawing board. There were quite a few boxes that contained personal stuff of his as well. None of this would even matter if Bulma's mother, Bunny, didn't want to do a bunch of redecorating. "Who redecorates a cellar!?" Bulma asked herself angrily, tossing yet another box into the corner of the room. She should have been gentler because her roughness caused a cloud dust to erupt right in her face. With dust in her eyes and mouth, Bulma squeezed her eyes shut and fell into a coughing fit, stumbling backwards.

She stumbled back into yet another box, and this time tumbled backwards over it. With her eyes still shut, she could hear the contents of the box spilling out onto the floor and she groaned in frustration. Rubbing her eyes clean she sat up angrily and glared heavily at the box, the contents on the floor, and then finally over her shoulder to glare at the door. Bulma grit her teeth together and stood up, brushing the dust off of the brown cargo shorts she was wearing.

"Alright, I'm over this," she muttered angrily. Whether her dad wanted her to or not, she wasn't going to do this. She was Bulma Briefs. Daughter of the famous Dr. Briefs who invented the Capsule technology and build the Capsule Corporation from the ground up. She didn't have to take this, especially from her dad. One of the maids could do it for all she cared. With one last stubborn kick towards the box, Bulma turned to stomp back up the stairs, until something caught her eye. In the dim lighting of the cellar, Bulma could see something incredibly shiny hidden behind one of the boxes. It seemed to have rolled out from the box that got knocked over it, whatever it was. Curious, Bulma reached around to grab it, and her hand enclosed around something round and very hard, but smooth; about the size of a baseball. She pulled her hand back to stare at the object, and her eyes widened at it.

"Whoa. What is this?" she asked herself, her voice hardly above a whisper. She had never seen anything like this before. It felt like glass, but it was a little lighter, and smooth to the touch. The ball was a bright orange color with a pink shine to it, and turning it over in her hands, she discovered two red stars embedded on the surface. Confused, Bulma stood up again and turned to leave, keeping her eyes on the object in her hand as she ascended the stairs that would take her out of the cellar. Reaching the first level of the multilevel mansion home she owned, Bulma turned her head left and right, wondering where her father would be. "Probably the lab…" she muttered to herself, heading left. She kept her eyes on the object in her hand most of the way there, becoming enthralled by it. It felt so mystical to her for some reason. And it wasn't anything that her father would normally keep in his possessions, either. "Probably why it was in the cellar to begin with," Bulma finished, reaching her father's lab and pressing the button to open up the sliding metal doors. As she had guessed, her father was sitting at a workbench filled with blue prints scattered all around him.

Bulma's father was a bit of a workaholic, and hardly ever left this place. A steaming cup of coffee was sitting on the bar above the workbench, and her father had wild crazy eyes, which meant he'd been up for at least two days straight. The papers all around him didn't make much sense to Bulma yet, but she could make out a few algorithms and formulas. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she picked up a piece of paper that had fallen to the floor and took a look at it. It was some sort of redesign for the service bots. Bulma made a face and sighed, tossing the paper back onto the ground. If he was redesigning the entire service bot line, they were going to have to hire more maids to pick up the slack. Finally, Bulma became impatient.

"Dad!" Dr. Briefs jumped slightly, startled, and turned, one hand over his heart. His dark eyes were wide and frantic, and his dull lavender colored hair was sticking to his forehead in places. Bulma wrinkled her nose, and then put on her best innocent smile. "Hello daddy," she said sweetly.

"Bulma, dear, you startled me," he told her, sighing and taking a look behind him. The chair that he was supposed to be sitting in had been scooted back so he could stand and reach across the table better, and he now pulled it forward again and sat down with a grunt.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she said impatiently. "I wanted to ask you something." She kept the ball covered with both of her hands. Her father blinked a few times, and then placed a hand to his chin.

"The cellar. Did you clean it?" Bulma huffed in annoyance.

"Oh, yeah, I'm not doing that," she said with finality. Dr. Briefs offered a lazy version of a glare towards her, which didn't seem to faze her in the least.

"Bulma, I told you. Cleaning the cellar for yourself for once will build you some character. You're far too spoiled," he told her, unafraid to be blunt or brash. Their whole family was that way, and they were comfortable with it. Bulma's expression didn't change as she stared at her father.

"I don't need character. I'm on my way to being a genius, not to mention I'm pretty. Now, seriously, dad, I need to ask you something." Her father didn't seem to hear her, however.

"Bulma, I really think you should—" he started, but Bulma cut him off with an impatient huff.

"Dad! I am trying to ask you something important! Nobody cares about the stupid cellar! Now would you please tell me what this is?" she asked, revealing the orange ball in her hand to Dr. Briefs. His eyes suddenly snapped to the object and he leaned forward with interest, taking the ball from Bulma's hands and chuckling a little as he tossed it up into the air and caught it again.

"Hey! Where did you find this thing?" he asked, a small smile on his face. Bulma glared at him.

"The cellar," she snapped. Dr. Briefs blinked a few times and smiled then, handing the ball back to his daughter. "What is it?"

"I believe the lady called it a dragon ball," he told her, tapping his finger against his mouth for a moment. "Yeah, she definitely said it was a dragon ball." Bulma stared at the ball for a moment, and then looked back up at her father.

"What lady?"

"The lady who gave it to me," he answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Bulma groaned and glared at her father. "You want to know who the lady is." Bulma placed a hand on her hip and waited as her father thought about it. "I can't really remember her name, to be honest. She gave it to me a very long time ago, you see. I was searching the world for materials to use for capsule technology, and I came across a village with a water problem and they needed water bad. Their water source wasn't hard to fix, but the head woman of the village wanted to thank me nonetheless with the dragon ball. I thought it seemed a bit much, but, she insisted," he answered. Bulma bit her bottom lip and looked down at the ball.

"So, where is this village then?" Bulma asked innocently. Dr. Briefs narrowed his eyes at his daughter.

He replied with a stern tone, "It's rather far from here. You couldn't possibly go by yourself." Bulma frowned and looked up at him with a pleading look.

"Please, daddy! I'll be careful, you know I will be," the girl pleaded. Her father sighed and leaned back in his chair, pursing his lips.

"Bulma, why are you so interested in it? It's just a little bauble. Sure, it's rather pretty to look at. But it's nothing special," he started. "Why do you want to go on some search for this village to find out what it is?" Bulma frowned at the question and looked at the ball once more before holding it close to her.

"I don't know. It just…seems important. It's nothing like I've ever seen before and it just…feels special," she said quietly, not realizing how attached she had just become to the thing, despite only having it for a very short amount of time. It was just so strange and bizarre; she had to do know what it was. "Besides, it's not like I'm doing anything else for summer break. I'm here with nothing to do." She pouted. "Please, let me go? This is really important to me," She told him, hoping he'd agree. Dr. Briefs offered a wary sigh before closing his eyes and thinking about it. After what seemed like an eternity, he looked at Bulma with a reproachful look.

"Only if you clear it with your mother first."

Bulma let out a happy squeal and threw her arms around her father's shoulder, hugging him, ignoring his startled laughter. She let go and bounced up a down and few times in excitement.

"Oh, thank you daddy! I'm going to go talk to mom. I'll be back for the coordinates of that village later!" She grasped the dragon ball tightly and ran out of the room, not even listening to her father's words as she exited the lab and ran at a full sprint down the hall. Her mother would either be in the kitchen or in the garden, and her kitchen was the first guess. Bulma stopped at the kitchen entryway, panting for breath, and searched the room with wide crystal blue eyes.

Nobody. Time to check the garden. Collecting her breath, she ran in the opposite direction of the large compound and headed for the garden on the second floor. There were times, such as this, that Bulma really hated how big her house was. Five and a half floors scattered in a modern style, Capsule Corporation was a massive square shaped house filled with complicated inner and outer different leveled structures. Her father's doing, of course. He wanted a 'cool looking house'. Bulma rolled her eyes and skidded to a halt outside the garden, placing her hands on her knees as she doubled over for breath.

The garden had glass doors, unlike the metal doors of her father's lab, and Bulma could see straight through them. Luckily, her mother was in here, feedings the animals she kept. There were four habitat gardens inside of Capsule Corporation, each one a different kind of habitat. One for sea animals, one that had a lush rainforest, one that required a snowy mountain top environment, and finally one that required the environment to resemble the desert. Fortunately, her mother was in the 'rainforest habitat'. Her mother was an animal activist, as well as a humanitarian. Though it was really more of a hobby. As of now, Bunny was feeding the toucans and the macaw birds. Bulma entered the room and immediately felt the effects of the climate, frowning at the uncomfortable humidity.

"Hello Bulma, darling," her mother called out to her, waving a little. Bunny Briefs was a rather tall woman, with the body of a Victoria's Secret model. She had the same crystal blue eyes that Bulma had, and even though her hairstyles were ever changing, the hair color always stayed the same, a beautiful blonde color. As of right now, Bunny had thick ringlet curls piled up on top of her head in an intricate bun style, a few ringlets falling down to brush her shoulders, and her bangs cut sideways to give her that edgy look. Making sure to stay on the stone pathway, Bulma made her way through the forest to where her mother was standing.

"Hey, mom. How's it going?" she asked, brushing a few strands of her aqua marine colored hair off her forehead. She had pulled it back into a French braid this morning, but she had small baby strands that refused to cooperate, even less so in this climate. They were starting to cling to her forehead and face.

"Wonderful dear. I've been spending the day with my birds." She pulled a macaw close to her and delicately stroked its head. All of the animals were docile and tamed, for the most part anyways. Though there were still a few that Bulma wasn't sure why her mother got. Though it didn't really matter; all of the animals loved her mother and would never harm her. As far as everyone else went, well, it was fair game.

"I see that. I had a question," Bulma stated, nearly jumping out of her skin when a baby spider monkey crawled onto her shoulder. Breathing a sigh of relief, Bulma patted the little monkey as the monkey's mother climbed onto Bunny. "Man, these guys come out of nowhere don't they?" Bulma asked with a smile, causing Bunny to laugh.

"They certainly do. Such curious animals. So what did you want? Do you want me to make you some lunch?" her mother asked, always eager to please or do something for someone. She really was a sweet woman. Bulma shook her head though, stroking the monkey's fur for a moment longer before letting it climb into tall feeding bowl her mother used to feed most of the animals.

"No, nothing like that. I found this is in the cellar, and dad told me that he got it from some lady in a village a long time ago," Bulma said, showing Bunny the dragon ball. "He said it was a dragon ball, and…well, I'm curious. For some reason, I really just want to find out what this is and more about it." Her mother smiled with understanding.

"You want to go have your own adventure, huh?" she asked, winking at her daughter. Bulma smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Dad said I had to ask you, but he said it was alright with him." Bunny thought about it for a moment, going into mother mode.

"Well I certainly hate to trap you here. You're a young girl, and you should have all of the wonders this world has to offer you. However, you are still only sixteen. And you have school," Bunny started, stroking one of the adult spider monkey's fur. "And you do have responsibilities. So, how long are you planning to be gone?" Bunny asked.

"Well, I'm not really sure. First I need to find out what this is, and if it's something special or just some sort of design bauble. If it's the latter, then I should be home relatively quick. But, if it's the first, then I really can't say. But, mom, this is really important to me. I've never asked to do something like this, and I know I have responsibilities. But I'm learning about the company all the time, and I wouldn't actually stop studying just because I'm gone. As far as school goes, I'm already way above my class. I could graduate right now if I wanted to," she said stubbornly. She really wanted to go. Her mother let out a sigh and thought about it, before laughing slightly and nodding.

"Well, I won't keep you trapped here. Just remember to behave and to be safe, make sure you're prepared the way both myself and your father have taught you to be," she said, the last part sternly. Bulma, now excited, jumped and down in excitement and vigorously nodded her head.

"Of course! Of course! Oh, thanks mom!" She hugged her mother and turned, rushing out of the habitat after ducking underneath a perched macaw, the multicolored bird flapping its wings in annoyance at having to move. Her mother called after her, but Bulma wasn't listening. She was already sprinting across her house and to her bedroom. The first thing she needed to do was do a little research. After that, she'd have to pack, and pack well. She was so excited she could hardly stand it. Throwing open the door to her lavender princess themed bedroom, Bulma gasped for breath as she turned her laptop on, throwing herself into the silver computer chair.

She had work to do.


	2. The Sakura Trees

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone. I don't really have much to say except for...enjoy! xD. I want to give a big thanks to **littlemija69** for being with me every step of the way through this process. I also want to give an awesome shout out to **Kid Goku Forever** and **AnimeFan22198** for reviewing. It really means a lot to me. :3

Enjoy! Reviews make me happy. No reviews make me sad face.  
You wouldn't like me when I'm sad face. /stares hard

**Project Headquarters: ****ryuukatsu-project . webs . com**

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, I don't own it.

* * *

**Primadonna  
**_Chapter Two: The Sakura Trees_

"Are you sure you have everything, dear?" Bunny asked her daughter for the twentieth time. The blue haired heiress rolled her eyes and adjusted the brown leather saddlebag on her shoulder. It had been three days since she discovered the mysterious dragon ball in her father's cellar, and for three days straight Bulma had been planning her little adventure. It took a lot of map planning, research, and annoying her parents about the necessities of what she needed and trying to get her father to remember the coordinates. For a scientist, he was rather forgetful. Bulma rolled the small motorbike out of the garage, setting the kick stand in place.

"Yes, mom."

"I'm just making sure. You can never be too careful you know. And this is a big deal. My little girl is about to have her first adventure!" Bunny stated, clasping her hands together and holding them tightly to her chest. Bulma resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she faced her mother and smiled, clasping her own hands together and setting them on her stomach.

"It is pretty exciting. But yes, I have everything. I am so prepared for this that it's a little ridiculous," Bulma agreed, and it was true. Bulma had two cases of capsules in her bag that held everything she could possibly need and more, not to mention her wallet, which contained all of her credit cards and her cell phone. She was definitely good to go. She had to admit, she had gone a little overboard with the whole 'adventure' thing. In fact, she might have over done the whole hiking/Lara Croft/Indiana Jones thing with her outfit. She even had her long blue hair brushed and pulled back into a tight French braid. But she was much too excited to care.

"How long will it take you to reach the village?"

"Two or three days, I think. I guess it depends on how fast I go," Bulma answered, putting the other strap of her backpack over her shoulder and reaching for her mother, who gladly pulled her into a hug. "I'll be careful mom, try not to worry," she said quietly, giving a thumbs up to her mom and turning to release the kick stand from the bike. Getting on, she turned the engine on, smiling as it hummed to life in seconds.

"I'm a mother. Of course I'll worry," Bunny told her. "Now, don't forget, you're going onto the original main land. And you've only been off the artificial main land once as a child. So don't be uneasy if things seem a little different," Bunny warned. Bulma nodded, frowning a little. It was true. The two islands that were artificially created and attached to Japan back in 2018 had been Bulma's whole world as a child. West City, the first island and the one that Capsule Corporation resided in. And Satan City, which was the island next to West City. Shaking her head a little, Bulma smiled and shrugged it off.

"It'll be good to see how Japan really looks," Bulma quipped. The artificial islands were really only large cities, with very little nature in them. And all of it was artificially created. The main land, especially Hokkaido, was one of the only places that still had a lot of green and natural plant life to it. Bulma was actually pretty excited to see it. "Okay, I'm gonna go. Tell dad I said thanks and I'll call you tonight," Bulma promised. Her mother nodded and stepped forward, pressing a kiss to Bulma's temple.

"Drive carefully, and make sure you call!" Bunny called, stepping back as Bulma revved the engine and drove away from the house, taking the long driveway and finally exiting the compound, heading left. Bulma's first goal? To leave West City. She revved the engine again with glee as she raced through her neighborhood, slowing down only a little to pull onto the main road. She was used to riding this motorcycle, of course. It was the first one she got last year and it's always been her favorite, but she had never been able to take it out for a real ride like this. She let out a loud whoop as she headed across town and towards the bridge that would take her to Japan's original main land. For now, she'd enjoy her speed. Because this? This was freedom.

* * *

"Zarbon, you may have actually killed him this time," a rather large pink alien said, leaning casually against a steel door frame. His companion, Zarbon, stood up and looked at the man with annoyance.

"He's a Saiyan. He can definitely withstand more than a little electrocution," Zarbon defended himself, crossing his arms and looking back into the room he was in. It was dark, save for the light coming in from the corridor. "Besides that, he's the _Prince of all Saiyans_, so I'm really not worried about it," Zarbon said with a chuckle, moving some of his long green hair away from his face and turning the light to the room on. The room was mostly empty, save for on the very back wall there were two heavy chains bolted in place that were clasped around the wrists of one Saiyan Prince. His arms were spread eagle above him, his legs were unchained but his knees were touching the floor, and his head had fallen forward during the time Zarbon had left him. "Vegeta, are you awake?" Zarbon asked, bored. When he got no response he narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, grabbing a fist full of Vegeta's flame styled hair and yanked upwards, exposing the Saiyans' battered face to the harsh light. He was awake, and he had the same heated glare fixed on his face from when Zarbon had left.

"He's awfully moody today," the pink alien, named Dodoria, muttered. Zarbon scoffed and released Vegeta's hair. Vegeta, now fully awake and even more pissed off, wound up grinding his teeth together as he glared at Zarbon.

"Of course he is. Today is his birthday," Zarbon said with a chuckle. "Vegeta doesn't like his birthday. I think it brings back some pretty bad memories." he finished. Dodoria smirked and shook his head.

"Still mourning over the loss of his planet? Pitiful," Dodoria spat, turning to leave Zarbon to his 'pet'. Zarbon stared at Vegeta with an almost thoughtful expression.

"You know, I don't think it's about your birthday at all. You know it should be Nappa who's taking this punishment. And yet every time that idiot gets himself into trouble, you take the punishment. Now, why is that?" Zarbon asked, cocking his head to the side, his long dark green hair falling to the side as he had left it free of its braid for the day. Vegeta's jaw clicked as he glared at the light blue skinned alien.

"Don't hurt yourself, Zarbon. It's not something trash like you would understand," Vegeta said with as much strength as he could muster in his current predicament. He lost count of how many times bolts of electricity had moved through his body. Zarbon, annoyed with not getting an answer, move forward to once again strike the young Prince, but was stopped when a voice called his name from the hallway. Recognizing the voice immediately, Zarbon straightened up into attention against the wall, looking straight ahead as the figure walked into the room. Though not very tall, this man was by far the weirdest looking alien on the ship. With an almost completely white sleek body save for a few purple patches, the captain of the ship stopped in the center of the room. He smiled at the sight before him, and then looked at Zarbon out of the corner of his eyes, thick purple eyes narrowing slightly.

"What do we have here?" he asked nonchalantly. By Zarbon's attitude, he seemed to be afraid of this man. Which only confirmed that in his case, looks were definitely deceiving.

"Nappa disobeyed a direct order again, Lord Frieza," Zarbon answered, placing his arm diagonally across his chest and bowing slightly. Frieza then looked at Vegeta, who averted his eyes to the floor.

"Oh? Well then, if Nappa is the one who disobeyed, why is Vegeta chained to the wall?" Frieza asked, crossing his arms. Zarbon stuttered for a moment before answering,

"Vegeta insisted that he take the punishment for Nappa." Frieza scoffed and shook his head, cocking his head a little.

"That crap again? You know, maybe I don't want it to be up to you who decides to be punished. It's Nappa who disobeyed. Maybe I feel like he should be punished," Frieza said icily, speaking to Vegeta now and leaning down on one knee so he was eye level with the Prince.

"It's Saiyan custom, Sire." Vegeta muttered, eyes glued to the floor as he refused to look upon Frieza's face. The thought of Frieza made Vegeta's blood boil, but acting out would only cause him a harder time. No, he was patient. He could, and would, bide his time until he was strong enough to kill Frieza. It couldn't be much longer.

"Oh? Custom you say? And why is that?" Frieza asked, though he sounded incredibly bored. Gritting his teeth, Vegeta finally looked into the man who destroyed his planet right in front of him, and then enslaved him when he was only twelve.

"It's our military custom. There's a hierarchy, but that hierarchy doesn't stop at political matters or running the planet. Above the lower class soldiers are the Saiyan Elites, and above them are the Royal Elites, consisting of the Royal family. When a group of Saiyans have gathered to fight, the highest ranking member leads the fight, and therefore takes the positive and negative aspects of the fight," Vegeta started angrily, but trying his hardest to keep his voice level. He learned a long time ago that losing control of his anger in front of Frieza was a bad idea. "So if a lower class Saiyan dies, it's on the highest ranking member's conscience. If a lower ranking member messes up or botches a mission, the punishment goes to the highest-ranking member, because he is responsible for the actions of his team. As a member of the Royal family and the Royal elite, Nappa is only a Saiyan Elite," he finished dully, trying hard to let some of his anger go. He could vent later.

"So, every time Nappa loses his temper and disobeys, you wish to receive his punishment. That could very well get you killed," Frieza stated with no emotion in his voice. Vegeta's eyes fell to the floor again. "Besides, the Saiyans are all dead. So what's the point of keeping such a pointless custom?"

"All the same," the Prince responded through clenched teeth. He just wanted Frieza to leave. The tip of Frieza's tail, sleek and white like the rest of him, started to tap against the ground. The strength from the tip of his tail alone was enough to crack the floor beneath it as it tapped angrily against it. That didn't bode well for him.

"Zarbon, what is the punishment?" Frieza asked curtly.

"So far it's just been electrocution," Zarbon answered quickly, not wanting to keep his master waiting for a response. Narrowing his eyes, Frieza stood up and motioned for Zarbon to follow him out of the room, who complied. Leaving the door open, Frieza looked back at the shackled Saiyan.

"Let me see," he snapped, Zarbon not hesitating to press a button on the side of the wall. The walls were wired with electric currents that ran straight into the shackles around Vegeta's wrist. As he had been for a while now, Vegeta braced himself for the shock, but his strength was failing over the long extended time he was in here and how many times he'd been electrocuted. The shock entered his body and every muscle in Vegeta's body started to rapidly spasm, causing pain throughout his entire body. Shaking and holding back a cry of pain, Vegeta clenched his teeth together so hard he thought they were going to break. Zarbon's finger was still pressing the button, where it would remain until Frieza told him to stop.

Agony tore through Vegeta as he felt his heart rate speeding up to a dangerous level. He couldn't take much more of this. When it seemed as if it was going to go on forever, Frieza finally held his hand up, signaling Zarbon to stop. The last of the shock went through Vegeta's body and finally stopped, Vegeta, exhausted and in pain, slumped forward as far as his restraints would allow him, gasping for breath. There was smoke coming off of him in random places. Vegeta, trying to catch his breath, only faintly heard the sound of Frieza's footsteps approaching, and then there was an agonizing pain on Vegeta's abdomen. Shocked and completely caught off guard by the pain and why it was happening, Vegeta yelled out in pain, looking down at the source of it. Frieza had lodged the tip end of his tail into Vegeta's abdomen, much like a knife. Not waiting for Vegeta to recover, Frieza removed his tail and repeated the process three more times. Vegeta yelled each time, unable to stop him self. The pain was unbearable as blood poured freely from the new wounds. Frieza's hand tore through Vegeta's hair as he yanked it backwards, leaning in close and snarling at the Prince.

"You don't get to make the decisions around here, Vegeta. If you want to take Nappa's punishments so bad, fine by me. But you should know that, should that be the case, your punishment would be twice as harsh. Abandon your foolish customs, for there is nobody else to share them with," he snarled, letting Vegeta's head fall back down, his chin landing on his chest. Frieza turned and stalked out of the room, stopping at the front of the door to look back at Vegeta. A small smirk donned his face. "Oh, and happy seventeenth birthday, my dear Prince," Frieza said sweetly, starting to laugh as he walked away, calling Zarbon to go with him. "Let him rot in there for a day or two! Then get him to the rejuvenation tank so he can heal. I don't want him dying on me just yet," Frieza explained. Zarbon nodded, and let the door shut, leaving the Prince of Saiyans in total darkness, covered in blood, and in total agony.

* * *

"WOOHOO!" Bulma screamed, loving the feel of the wind blowing on her face and the speed she was going. She made it out of West City two days ago, and was now enjoying the more natural look of the main land and the less crowded roads. In fact, she was heading into the country, and if she kept going she'd wind up having to switch from her motorcycle to an air vehicle so she could fly into Hokkaido. The village, however, was located in Akita. So that was where she'd go first. Luckily, she was almost there. Weaving through traffic, and probably breaking a few laws, Bulma finally made it into Akita. Proud of herself, Bulma set to work to finding the village. Her father mentioned that it wasn't directly in the city of Akita, but in the forest that surrounded it. More specifically, in the Sakura forest.

Heading as far as she could on her bike, Bulma stopped took a look around. The forest wasn't really dense, but it could give her problems if she wound up going the wrong way. It was about seventy-eight degrees outside, and the humidity was average in Akita around this time of year. Getting lost was definitely a bad idea. With that, Bulma quickly retrieved the GPS compass, and punched in the exact coordinates her father gave her. Capsizing her motorcycle, Bulma placed it back in the Capsule box, and back into her saddlebag. Strapping it over her shoulder, Bulma took in a deep breath, and headed into the forest.

"Grandma, are you going to be okay?" a little girl asked, tilting her head to the side. The braided ponytail she was wearing falling even further down her shoulder. The old woman in question gripped onto her walking stick rather hard, turning a bit to look down at her granddaughter.

"Oh, hush now. I may be old, but I'm not going to fall apart," she said, taking another step further and using the walking stick to help her move around. "Not quite yet anyway," she whispered under her breath. The little girl, who hadn't heard the last part, only smiled and nodded.

"I know. But you should still take it easy. Why do you like going on these hikes anyway?" she asked, lacing her fingers together and placing them behind her head. The old woman shot an annoying look towards the little girl and rolled her eyes, continuing along the path through the mountain trail, heading back towards their village.

"I've been going on this 'hike' since I was your age, performing the very ritual you just witnessed. It's tradition. Something you younger generation just can't seem to appreciate," the lady snapped. The girl sheepishly grinned and skipped forward until she was right next to her grandmother.

"I appreciate it. I just don't see why we have to walk so far," she whined. Her grandmother rolled her eyes once more.

This younger generation was also much lazier than she was accustomed to. They reached the bottom of the mountain trail and walked in silence for a while, heading up the path that led to the hilly fields in the center of the forest that surrounded their village. Just over the hills was where the village was actually located. The duo continued in silence for most of the way back, and any talking was usually mindless chatter from the little girl and her laughter as she occasionally chased after a butterfly. They were coming up to the above ground forest from the bowl the hill dipped down to, and had to now climb the set of stone steps that entered into the beginning of their village.

"Grandma, what's so important about the ritual?" she asked quietly. Her grandmother stopped and turned to look at her.

"For goodness sakes, child, don't you ever pay attention in your lessons?" she asked, exasperated, and shook her head. "We pray and perform the ritual so that we may thank the seasonal spirits for letting our village prosper. They're in charge of the elements, it is them who decide if we should prosper or perish. So we should always respect them and cherish them, as they cherish us," she lectured. The little girl, frowning at her grandmother's shortness with her, opened her mouth to say something. However, she was cut off when there was a shrill cry from above them. The two looked up just in time to see a girl slip completely down the slope that led to where the old lady and child were, as she yelled out and tried to catch herself onto something, but only grasping onto more dirt and a few old roots. She hit the ground hard, a small dirt cloud surrounding the girl.

"OW!" she screamed out, quickly standing up and coughing the dirt out of her lungs. The grandmother and child, bewildered and wary, watched in slight fascination. She kept on coughing and taking deep breaths of air and brushing the dirt off of her, adjusting the pack on her back. She definitely wasn't from around here. Still gasping for breath, Bulma turned to glare up at the small Cliffside. "Stupid spider," she muttered under her breath. Taking in a last deep breath and smoothing a few strands of aqua colored hair that escaped it's braid back, she turned to look at the old woman and child, who was cowering behind her grandmother's leg.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, shielding her granddaughter with the long gray traveling cloak she was wearing. The blue haired girl blinked a few times and smiled.

"My name is Bulma," she announced, and then caught a look at the stone steps. "Oh! This must be the entrance to the village! If only that bug hadn't attacked me," she said, sending one last heavy glare towards the forest. "I was so close, too," she said, and then seemed to be thinking about something as she turned back to the old woman. "Are you members of this village?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm the village elder. What are you intentions with the Sakura village?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the intruder. A look of wonder clouded Bulma's face as she grinned.

"You're the woman who gave the dragon ball to my dad!" she exclaimed, obviously excited. The woman's eyes widened as she stared at the girl and perked up a little, moving away from her granddaughter and towards Bulma, who was still smiling.

"The dragon ball? You're Dr. Brief's daughter?" she asked, a small smile on her face as well. Bulma nodded excitedly, and the lady's features softened as she took Bulma's hands into her own.

"Then I welcome you. Come, let's get back to the village," she said, turning towards the steps and motioning towards her wide eyed granddaughter, her brown eyes still filled with wariness. "Don't be afraid, child. You did pay attention when you were taught how Dr. Brief saved us from dehydration, didn't you?" she asked sternly. The child blinked a few times and nodded vigorously. "Then you have no reason to be afraid of this girl. Come," she finished. She then turned to Bulma. "This is my granddaughter, Yumiko. I am Lady Sakura," she introduced herself. Bulma smiled and waved to the girl, who shied away and clasped onto the gray traveling cloak with her hand. "Tell me, is there a reason you've come all this way? Last I heard, Dr. Brief settled down in West City," she asked, looking to Bulma.

"He did. He got married, and then I came around and made his life worth living for," she said playfully, earning a chuckle from the old woman. "And actually, there is a reason. See, I found the dragon ball you gave him," she said, leaving out the part about it being in the cellar. She probably wouldn't appreciate that, though it certainly wasn't her fault that she had no idea her father only liked tinker toys, not shiny baubles. "And I was curious about it. I asked my father, of course, and he told me of this village and of you, and how you rewarded him with it. But, well, the dragon ball has caught my curiosity as well. My father isn't really interested in stuff like this, but I'm completely fascinated. I was just…I was just wondering if you could tell me all about it. Where it came from, what it is, if it's supposed to do something, stuff like that," she finished, stopping at the top of the steps to look around.

The village wasn't very developed as far as technology was concerned. Actually, it looked a lot more like the feudal Japan era, with a few differences. Most of the buildings were made of stone, and in the center of the village was a handcrafted fountain. She could also see crop fields behind some of the houses. But what made everything look pretty were the masses of Sakura trees hanging over everything. It gave everything a vintage and antique look, which Bulma loved.

"I think we can manage that," Lady Sakura consented, motioning for Yumiko to take off to join her family, which she did. Bulma still made her nervous. "Excuse Yumiko, she's a rather shy girl until she gets to know someone," she explained, and then motioned for Bulma to follow her throughout the village. She got stares and murmurs of course from some of the village people, but Lady Sakura didn't seem to mind them. "We don't get visitors here very often, you know," she explained. "Let's get you cleaned up and over dinner, I'll answer your questions," she finished, stopping at what Bulma guessed was her house. For a while now, she had been debating on if she should show Lady Sakura the dragon ball. But a thought occurred to her. What if Lady Sakura wanted it back? Bulma, who had grown attached to the dragon ball, didn't want to give it back. But even if it was a gift, maybe Lady Sakura was think that it belongs to this village. Questioning herself, she almost missed Lady Sakura speaking to her.

"Hmm? Oh! Yes, that sounds lovely. Thank you," she said cheerfully.


	3. Etiquette

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone. Here's the third installment for Primadonna. Again, this is the revised version that's been edited for grammar and spelling crap. If you would like to know what's coming up after Primadonna, you can check out the headquarters for this project. The website is also where you can find out what I've changed to the characters (example, I've added martial arts to Bulma's arsenal. After all it's a _fighting_ show, so why should the men get all the glory?) and why. So, lots of neat stuff to look at. I hope you enjoy it! Leave me a review, because they make me happy. And you want to make me happy, don't you? :3

**ryuukatsu-project . webs . com**

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, I don't own it.

* * *

**Primadonna  
**_Chapter Three: Etiquette  
_

The only thing Vegeta could remember was that it was freezing. The temperature didn't usually affect Saiyans, so the sensation was a little odd to him. There was a dull throbbing somewhere on his torso, and he desperately wanted to see what it was. Vegeta was a Prince, and nothing wounded a Prince so easily. Trying to fight into consciousness, Vegeta thrashed in the thick green liquid. In the distance, somewhere, he could hear someone screaming. Screaming so loud it was hard to concentrate, in fact. Between the temperature, the noise, the fogginess in his head, and the dull ache in his abdomen, Vegeta was starting to freak out. Thrashing harder and fighting hard to open his eyes, he finally heard a loud crack as his eyes flew open and was greeted with an underwater vision of glass in front of him, a large crack in it. Thrashing a few more times and the crack expanded, before an even louder crack resounded in his head. The screaming was still going on and the pressure of the water on the cracked glass was too much, the glass finally collapsing under the waters weight. The screaming got louder and Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut, the only thing keeping him from falling forward was the thick black breathing mask attached to the back of the pod he was in. It was then; finally, that Vegeta could hear voices.

"Vegeta, stop!" he heard, he didn't stop thrashing, his senses still wildly out of control and the screaming still in the background. He was finding it difficult to move as the pain in his abdomen intensified.

"He's going to break the damn chamber!"

"Get him unhooked, now!" Vegeta heard as he tried thrashing hard to get the mask off of him. A hand was suddenly on him then and he jolted, thrashing out and knocking whoever it was backwards. He heard the man cuss and then he was on Vegeta again, tearing the mask off of his face. Vegeta sputtered and coughed wildly, his body falling forward and barely being caught by the two people in the room. The disturbed Saiyan opened his eyes to see a light on the wall flashing red, and he realized the screaming he heard was the alarm going off. Slowly his senses came back to him as he ignored the two medics talking to him and to each other. He was on Frieza's ship, in the medical wing. Which meant he was in the rejuvenation tank. The memories of the last few days came back to him and he snapped his teeth together, a low growl forming at the base of his throat. Clearly angered, Vegeta shoved the two medics off of him and stumbled forward to a table, grabbing onto it for support. His abdomen was causing him some serious problems as he looked down to examine the damage.

The rejuvenation tank had healed the wounds, but Vegeta could already see four nasty scars forming over the closed wounds. The scar tissue was also red and puckered, sore to the touch. The outside may have healed, but the pain Vegeta was feeling was from the inside. He must not have been in the tank long enough before he came to, then. Realizing this, Vegeta turned two narrowed eyes on the medics. One was busy cleaning up the glass and the rejuvenation fluid, while the other was turning the alarm off and muttering under his breath. Before being placed in the tank, Vegeta had been stripped of his normal clothes and was now wearing nothing but under armor shorts.

"How long was I in there?" Vegeta snapped. The one cleaning up the liquid froze in surprise to stare at him.

"About a day and a half," he answered. "You should have remained in there for another day and that would have healed properly," he finished, motioning towards the four paint splattered shape wounds on his abdomen.

"Of course, you freaked out and broke the damn thing," the other medic said, shaking his head angrily again while pulling up the schematics for the rejuvenation tank. He'd have to rebuild the glass for it. Vegeta scowled at him, looking back towards the medic cleaning up the fluid. Vegeta had never seen him before.

"Who placed me in the tank?" he barked out. The medic on the computer blinked a few times and turned to stare at the one on the floor, then looked back to Vegeta.

"He did, what does it matter?" he asked. Vegeta's eyes narrowed and looked in on the medic, noticing the small green skinned man was starting to sweat a little.

"You're new," Vegeta stated. The medic nodded in confirmation. The last time a new medic had placed Vegeta in the tank, they didn't use enough anesthesia first. A Saiyan's metabolism ran incredibly fast at all times, including when they were asleep, and fought through any foreign drug or medication and burned it off. Vegeta let out an irate sigh and turned his back on the two, heading to the changing rooms. "The next time a new medic puts me into the chamber without administering the right amount of anesthesia, I'm killing him," Vegeta warned, not bothering to look back. As far as he was concerned, it was their fault he broke the chamber. Entering the changing room, he changed out of the black wet shorts he was wearing and dried off. He felt like hell.

Pulling open a drawer, Vegeta grabbed a clean battle uniform all of Frieza's fighters were required to wear. The uniform consisted of a black full body suit that was tight, form fitting, and mostly made of a flexible thin material and mesh. He pulled on the stretchy thin material like a second skin, pulling the last bit over his shoulders and letting it snap into place. Over that went the protective armor, which was another full body suit with a mixture between a tough material and plated armor covering all of the necessary vulnerable spots; shins, thighs, groin, torso, and the back.

Buckling on the boots and pulling on a pair of black gloves made from the under armor suit, Vegeta got lost in thought. Thinking about the last few days. For the most part, he couldn't remember much after Frieza impaled the tip of his tail into his stomach. The whole situation just made him angry again, and Vegeta finally buckled on the last piece of the armor, a chest and shoulder plate that acted as an outer protective shell, made of an unbelievably hard material and that was black and blue in color. A helmet was also given as optional wear, but Vegeta thought it was ridiculous and always discarded the garment.

"Vegeta, Lord Frieza has requested your presence," the new medic told him through the thin door. Vegeta glared hard at the wall, wanting nothing more than to blow this whole fucking ship up. Pushing down his anger as best he could, Vegeta threw the door open and stormed right by the medics, exiting the room entirely and stomping down the hallway. The anger that was simmering beneath him was hard to push down. Vegeta was an intelligent man and incredibly patient, but even his patience was limited. Usually after a torture session like that, Frieza left Vegeta the hell alone. For a little while at least.

Stopping just outside of the command room where Frieza was, Vegeta stopped and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He mentally counted to ten, taking in a deep breath between each number. Wrapping his tail around his waist tightly, Vegeta decided he was calm enough to deal with whatever the hell Frieza was going to throw at him, and opened the door, stepping inside. The door slid shut behind him and Vegeta placed his right arm over his chest, his fingertips almost touching his shoulder as he bent down from the waist, eyes glaring at the floor. Although Frieza's back was to him, he knew that Vegeta was there.

"Sire," Vegeta said, his voice breaking through the quietness of the room. Frieza turned his head slightly, his eyes only barely taking in Vegeta's form before he turned back towards the view screen in front of him. Vegeta stood up then, his eyes on the view screen as well. It was always the same thing for the most part. Space was black and endless, and Vegeta found that the more he stared at it, the bigger his headache got.

"Good to see you up and about, Vegeta," Frieza commented finally. The under tone in his voice did not go amiss by the Saiyan Prince. "For a while there, I thought maybe you really were going to die on me. That would have been such a shame. Maybe next time I should be a little more merciful. Although, I think I'm quite merciful every now and again," Frieza said, chuckling to himself. Vegeta grit his teeth and said nothing, shifting slightly to stop himself from lunging at the lizard looking bastard. "Am I not merciful?" Frieza asked, his voice dropping rather low. Vegeta could have sworn the warlord was bi-polar.

"Yes, Sire," Vegeta consented, keeping his face as straight as he could. Frieza was silent then for a good amount of time, quietness settling over the command room once more. There were several of Frieza's men doing different jobs at the control boards, but they were ignoring the two for the most part. Mostly because they were too afraid of Frieza to try and act like they were listening in.

"I have an assignment for you. You and Nappa will be heading out to a planet to purge it. I feel like it's been a while since you've proven yourself to me while on your own. I, of course, don't count that brainless monkey companion of yours. Nappa can barely lick your ass properly enough to do anything else," Frieza said, laughing to himself on the last part. Vegeta's face remained like a stone, impassive, and uncaring. "But he will accompany you none the less because if he's left here, I may wind up killing the idiot," Frieza finished. He turn his chair around to look at Vegeta fully now. "You'll be going to Solaris IV," Frieza told him, enjoying the astonishment that came over Vegeta's face for a mere second before it fell back into an impassive mask.

"As you wish, Sire," Vegeta spoke carefully, confused at Frieza's words. The creatures on Solaris IV had formed a treaty with Frieza a long time ago. He wondered vaguely when that treaty had ended. And then a thought hit him, and he was so angry all over again that he had to bite down on his tongue to stop himself from cursing. His whole body started to shake and he tasted iron from the blood now filling his mouth. Swallowing hard, he didn't give Frieza the satisfaction of realizing what he was about to make him do. Frieza looked at him, seemingly bored, but the corner of his mouth lifted up into a small smirk.

"Their technology has become obsolete, and I see no reason to keep them alive any longer," Frieza explained. Vegeta set his jaw and said nothing, staring straight ahead. "You leave in the morning. You're dismissed," Frieza then snapped. Vegeta placed his right arm over his chest and bowed once more.

"Yes, Sire," he said, standing up straight and quickly turning on his heel. He left the room and walked down the corridor, nearly blind with rage and for once everyone else in the corridor gave him a wide berth, until he reached the training room. He already knew Nappa would be here, and the large brute was indeed adjusting the gloves on his battle suit. When he saw Vegeta, his face paled a little and he stood up straighter, his hands balling into fists and landing at his sides. Vegeta stared at him for a few moments, anger smoldering beneath the surface.

"Vegeta, I-" he started, but was cut off when Vegeta growled. Nappa's russet colored tail fell limp and curled inwardly, an act of submission.

"Save it. I don't want to hear it," Vegeta snapped. Saiyan etiquette was never really talked about, only acted out. Nappa messed up, and Vegeta took the fall for him. His pride wouldn't allow him to do otherwise. Nappa knew this, and on normal occasions, Vegeta would now punish him for making the mistake in the first place. With the two of them being two of four that survived Vegetasei's destruction, there wasn't any point to the latter part of such etiquette. "The next time you disobey a direct order from anyone who is not your subordinate, I swear Nappa, I will kill you myself," Vegeta warned, breathing hard to try and calm himself down. Nappa nodded.

"I understand," he commended. He was a Saiyan Elite, and he'd take any punishment he rightfully deserved.

"I'm so sick and tired of you not being able to control yourself. If I can do it, surely you can," Vegeta told him. Before Nappa could reply, Vegeta cut him off once again. "Shut up, I told you, I don't want to hear it. We have an assignment and we leave in the morning. The inhabitants of Solaris IV have outrun their usefulness, and Frieza wants them eliminated," the Prince finished with a click of his jaw. The same confusion Vegeta experienced earlier came over Nappa's face, before he understood too. Just as Frieza eliminated the Saiyans when their usefulness had run out, Frieza would make Vegeta do the very same thing to the Solarians. The two Saiyans made eye contact before Nappa shook his head and sat down, his tail wrapping around his waist once more. Vegeta's own black tail was swishing back and forth in extreme agitation.

"That bastard," Nappa said harshly. Vegeta glared at the wall above Nappa's head before walking over to the control panel that controlled the training program inside the next room. Punching it on, he selected the most difficult level it offered.

"I have to go blow off some steam," Vegeta muttered, activating the program.

"I saw your wounds earlier," Nappa said quietly. Vegeta's eyes snapped over to the older Saiyan, his eyes narrowing a little. Nappa stared back, not backing down. "Blowing off steam or not, don't kill yourself in there," Nappa said, Vegeta growled at him, but Nappa shook his head and looked down towards the floor. "It's been a long time since I was ordered to be your protector. It's also been a long time since you needed me for such a title. But, if it's all the same, I intend to keep the vow I gave to the King all those years ago." Vegeta closed his eyes for a moment before shaking his head. He was never overly fond of Nappa. He tended to think his strength meant he would win every battle, which wasn't the case. You also need a brain, and Nappa seemed to lack one when it came to the battlefield. Since the destruction of his planet, his annoyance towards Nappa had lessoned.

Saiyans were not solitary creatures, and they were meant to act as a team. That was why they had teams put together as early as birth, that was why the bond of a life mate was as deep as it was. They were not solitary creatures. The annihilation of their race had made Nappa, Raditz, and even Vegeta feel lonelier than anything they have ever been accustomed to. As a result, it was only natural they stuck together like a tight inner circle. Nappa had been ordered as Vegeta's protector as a baby, and was given the command to watch over him until he was old and strong enough to protect himself. That time had long since come and gone, but Nappa still insisted that title upon himself. Vegeta knew why, and as his jaw tightened and he opened the door to the training room, he looked back at the older Saiyan with steely eyes.

"Don't waste such a stupid sentiment on me, Nappa. You have better things to do with your time," Vegeta told him, turning and shutting the training door behind him, not needing to look at Nappa's face because he already knew the disappointment that made itself present. Raditz and Nappa took comfort in each other's presence, and even in Vegeta's. Vegeta, however, couldn't find that comfort. The last two Saiyans that Vegeta would ever know in his life, and he felt further from them than he did his dead father. Maybe he was defecting. With a sneer, Vegeta stood in the center of the room and positioned himself in a defensive kata. He had work to do.

* * *

She was definitely losing her patience. Last night did not go the way Bulma wanted it to, at all. Groaning once more and adjusting her bag over her shoulder, Bulma trudged forward behind some of the villagers, Lady Sakura in the lead. Shoving her hands into the pockets of her pants, Bulma pulled out her droid phone from her bag, quickly dialing her mother's number and placing the phone to her ear. She was lucky to still have service all the way out here, but with the capsule corporation signal adaptor her father and she invented, she pretty much got signal everywhere. It rang twice before her mother picked up.

"Bulma, darling?" Bunny asked, her voice anxious. It was obviously hard to be away from her daughter. Bulma smiled a little.

"Hey, mom," she responded.

"Where are you, dear?"

"In the mountains somewhere. I found the village."

"That's wonderful! Did you find the answers you were looking for?" Bunny asked her, wondering when her daughter would be coming home. Bulma bit her bottom lip and sighed.

"Not just yet. I didn't get here until evening yesterday, and then something happened last night. So we have to take care of it before Lady Sakura will tell me about it," Bulma said sourly, pursing her lips at the old woman leading the group.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that. Well, thanks for calling! Your father and I miss you, dear," Bunny said, and Bulma was sure there was a motherly smile on her face. Unable to stop the small smile of her own from appearing she rolled her eyes at her mother's antics.

"Miss you too, mama. Talk to you soon," Bulma stated before hanging up and pocketing her droid phone. After adjusting the pack she was carrying, Bulma huffed out a breath of air and continued to stalk after the villagers, last night playing clearly in her mind.

"_I remember your father, you know," Lady Sakura explained, smiling at Bulma over her tea. Dinner had started a while ago and the whole village got together to welcome Bulma for her stay, a custom that every valued visitor received apparently. "Has he changed much?" she asked Bulma, who smiled and shrugged a little._

"_Not really. He still lives and breathes for his work. Always working on the next big thing," she explained, earning a smile from Lady Sakura and some of the older members of the village._

"_He didn't seem very interested in anything that wasn't his work," Lady Sakura explained, earning a knowing nod from Bulma._

"_That definitely hasn't changed," she said with a laugh. She watched with enjoyment as a few of the village members performed a welcoming ceremony that included a cool fire show and a dance. Afterwards, Lady Sakura had moved closer to her, and Bulma could feel the anticipation clawing in her heart. She had so many questions, after all._

"_You've come a long way just to ask about the dragon ball," Lady Sakura commented after she had finished eating. "I suspect your father doesn't have any interest in it, but that was one of the reasons why I gave it to him. You have to understand, this village is very old. Older than your great grandfather, even. We have a very strict set of rules and beliefs that we try to never stray from, though it may not make much sense to an outsider. That dragon ball has been in this village since it first started, and we believed it to contain a spirit inside that watched over us," the old lady explained. Bulma listened intently, the anticipation nearly killing her. "You see, the dragon ball is-" Lady Sakura started, but was cut off when someone came running up to the circle, totally out of breath and calling for her._

"_Lady Sakura! I'm so glad you're here," he said, placing his hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath. His dark hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, but it was disheveled and it looked like he'd been running from someone, or something. Lady Sakura stood up and ushered him to take a seat and calm himself, which he tried doing. He was offered water and as he drank, he tried regaining his breath._

"_Calm yourself, child. Tell us what happened," she said firmly._

"_I ran as fast- as I could," he started, getting his breathing under control at least a little. "The northern village- has been- attacked," he said as quickly as he could. "Lady Aiko request- immediate help. They're after- the staff!" he yelled, gripping Lady Sakura's cloak in his hand. He looked like he was about to pass out. "Please, help!"_

"_Easy, boy. Of course we'll help. We'll leave at once. Hopefully by the time we get there, they'll be someone left to save," Lady Sakura stated with a grave face. She immediately bustled off and alerted the village, calling for some of the fighters and hunters to help her on her journey. Bulma vaguely wondered what Lady Sakura could do, and almost as if she could read the girl's thoughts, Lady Sakura turned to her._

"_I am a woman of many talents, and I will be accompanying them on this task. I'm afraid your answers will have to wait," she explained, turning to leave. Bulma was up on her feet in a second and rushing after her._

"_Let me come with you!" Bulma insisted. Lady Sakura shook her head._

"_No. You'll just be in the way. Children don't belong in battle," the old woman answered. Bulma set a determined glare on her face and kept up with the surprising fast elder._

"_No, I won't. I'm not asking you to baby sit me- just let me come along. I can take care of myself just fine, I could even help," Bulma insisted._

"_What could a girl like you have to offer in battle, and it may very well come to that. This isn't a game," Lady Sakura scolded her. Bulma, unused to such treatment, let out a huff of annoyance and stepped in front of Lady Sakura, stopping her movement entirely. Lady Sakura looked down at her in surprise._

"_For your information I've been practicing martial arts since I was old enough to stand up. Not to mention I'm one of the smartest people on the planet today, and I've got plenty of tools that might come of use. I don't mean to be rude, but I am coming with you," she said firmly, never breaking her gaze from Lady Sakura's. The old woman regarded Bulma for a moment, wonder and curiosity in her eyes, as well as a little annoyance. It wasn't custom in her village for children to act this way or to disobey an elder. Of course, Bulma wasn't from this village._

"_Do not make us wait for you or have to look out for you. If you come, it is at your own risk then," Lady Sakura finally said, moving past Bulma. The group gathered and set off almost immediately, and Bulma trailed behind them, making sure to keep up. Though to be honest, they weren't moving at a really fast pace. But Bulma was determined to get her answers, and she refused to be left behind._

Bulma shoved her hands in her pockets again and caught up to the group, coming up over yet another hill. From the high top of the mountain, she could easily see where the village was. As well as some smoke filtering into the sky above it. That definitely didn't look good. They were only about half an hour walk from the village now, and the group picked up their pace, Lady Sakura never faltering as she led them. This surprised Bulma, because the woman looked positively ancient. Entering the village, it already looked like it had been attacked pretty badly. She could see village members face down in the dirt, dead. She could see smoke rising from several of the buildings. But she could also hear fighting still going on towards the center of the city.

"Let's go!" one of the hunters yelled, pulling an arrow from his back and placing it on his bow, rushing ahead with a few other archers. Bulma followed everyone deeper into the village, pulling her tanto blade out of her bag and keeping it close. She didn't study jujutsu for nothing, after all. She came into the courtyard to see members of Lady Sakura's village fighting off what looked to be ninjas. They wore all black and they wore the ninja mask, but the mark on their chest was something Bulma had never seen before. That only gained her attention for a moment though before she could hear a helicopter coming up over a hill top and flying right over the top of the village, a rope being let down from it. A woman grappled down to the ground, and she was the most intimidating woman Bulma had ever seen. She had long black hair that was up in a high ponytail and a ninja mask over the bottom half of her face, and the woman looked at Bulma with deep blue eyes with thick red shadow on them. Unhooking herself from the rope she took a look around, and then looked at Bulma again.

And then the woman started running towards her, pulling out a katana.


	4. The Legend

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! Fourth installment. I hope you guys are liking it so far, I'm enjoying writing it. I'm not sure how many chapters this will wind up being, but I do know it will be no more than ten. But I might stop at eight. We'll see. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed! I hope you continue to do so. Reviews make me happy. (:

**Project Headquarters: ryuukatsu-project . webs . com**

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, I don't own it.

* * *

**Primadonna**  
_Chapter Four: The Legend_

Bulma steadied herself and clashed her tanto blade against the katana, throwing the woman slightly off balance. But she was quick, and turned on her heel to bring the katana down on Bulma's neck, who dodged and grabbed the woman's hand in a wrist lock and bent low, using the woman's own momentum against her to toss her to the ground. The woman surprised Bulma, however, when instead of landing on her back she landed on her feet and flipped backwards, releasing the wrist lock Bulma had on her and kicking Bulma away from her. Bulma stumbled backwards but caught her balance, glaring hard at the woman.

"You know what you're doing, girl," the woman stated with a scowl. "With a few more years, you could even be as good as me," she said, raising an eyebrow in Bulma's direction. Bulma scoffed and rushed forward, using the tanto blade to knock the woman's katana blade away from the center of her body, and she pushed her shoulder into the woman's abdomen. The black haired girl used her leg to hook Bulma's ankle and brought it up, knocking Bulma onto her back. Bulma retaliated by using her momentum and the girl's momentum to bring the girl down with her. Placing her feet onto the woman's stomach, she pushed upwards and outwards, sending the girl over Bulma's head and landing hard on her back. They were both up in an instant, defensive posture in place for both of them.

"Why are you attacking this village?" Bulma asked her, not letting her guard down.

"They have something we want," the woman answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Mai, it's not here!" a man clad in black ninja gear announced, stepping up behind her. She turned to look at him in mild annoyance.

"What do you mean it's not here?" she asked him hotly.

"We searched the shrine, but it's not there," he answered her. There was a laughing from behind Bulma, and she turned to see Lady Sakura walking up to them, the tip of her walking stick pointed at Mai.

"You're looking for the dragon ball. I'm afraid you're quite a few years too late. We gave that away to someone special a long time ago," Lady Sakura said to them. Mai narrowed her eyes at the old woman and pointed her katana at her.

"No, you're lying. It has to be hidden somewhere in this village vicinity," Mai said, though she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything else. Bulma took a step back, suddenly feeling as if the dragon ball in her bag was burning a hole through it. Luckily the bag was underneath the black cape jacket Bulma was still wearing, and hidden from view. "You lie!" Mai screamed, rushing towards Lady Sakura.

Bulma tensed and moved to jump in front of the old woman, but Lady Sakura held her hand out to stop her. She held her walking stick out to Mai and started to chant something in a language that Bulma had never heard before. The wind shifted around Lady Sakura, before it blew from the top of her walking stick and surrounded Mai, throwing her backwards. Mai crashed into a stone building and slumped to the ground, completely still. Bulma held her breath, wondering if she was dead, but Mai came to pretty quickly and groaned, brushing the dust off of her and shakily standing up. She placed a hand on her shoulder and winced, cursing.

"Take your men and go. We won't give you another opportunity to leave here alive," Lady Sakura said quietly, a few of the hunters gathering behind her with their weapons trained on Mai. The blue eyed woman glared heavily at Lady Sakura, and then at Bulma, and whistled loudly. All of the men that were fighting off the rest of the hunters and fighters quickly gathered at Mai's side.

"Don't think that you won't pay for crossing Emperor Pilaf," Mai said harshly, motioning for the men behind her to follow her out as the helicopter lowered itself to the ground. It was then that Bulma caught side of the capsule corporation logo on the side of the copter and she narrowed her eyes, annoyed that someone like Mai was in possession of her family's products. She didn't say anything though as the copter took off, and the ruined village was left in a settling quietness.

* * *

"Are you ready?" the young prince's companion asked him. Vegeta pulled on the battle glove and looked at Nappa from the corner of his eye. Nappa had been unusually quiet since their talk, and it wasn't hard to guess why. A dull feeling settled in the pit of Vegeta's stomach as he opened up the hatch to the space pod.

"The Solarians have decent technology, but they're low on fighters. As a technological race, they rely on others for protection," Vegeta answered him.

"Yeah, until the ones you're relying on decide to kill you off. I don't like this, Vegeta," Nappa growled out, slamming his hand onto the button that opened up his space pod. Vegeta glared at the tall brute out of the corner of his eye.

"You don't have to like it. Frieza has commanded it, so-" Vegeta started, but was cut off when Nappa whirled around to face him, a heavy glare set on his face.

"Frieza has no honor," Nappa stated through clenched teeth. Vegeta looked over his companion for a moment. Nappa looked deeply troubled about something, and Vegeta could only guess it was because of the task at hand. Sighing, Vegeta shook his head for a moment.

"You're right, Nappa. But as it stands, Frieza can kill you with his finger. So you will do as you're commanded whether it holds honor or not. We will have our time to reclaim that honor, I assure you," Vegeta told him, stepping into the pod and sitting down. Nappa stared at the Prince for a moment, and then he scoffed and took a seat in his own pod.

"Why did Frieza have to choose this mission for us to complete? Genocide on a race that's supposed to be our ally, it's disgusting," Nappa said with distaste. Vegeta glared at nothing in particular as the door to his pod shut and he channeled Nappa in his thoughts.

'_To teach us a lesson,' _Vegeta thought to his companion bitterly. _'This is your punishment for disobeying, and my punishment for allowing myself to take the fall is to commit the same act against someone's race that Frieza did to our own.'_

'_Vegeta, I didn't-' _Nappa started, but was cut off by Vegeta.

'_I still don't want to hear it, Nappa. The Solarians would have died either way, because that's what happens when you become useless to Frieza. Do you understand me?' _Vegeta thought roughly, annoyed at the whole situation. It was quiet for a moment while Nappa gathered his thoughts about the Prince's words. Vegeta was right, as he normally was. Useless men died while working for Frieza, and so Vegeta refused to become useless, and he expected Nappa to do the same. The older Saiyan shook his head, looking out of the window

'_Yes, Prince.'_

* * *

The young heiress tucked her blue hair into the steel gray weave beret she was holding in her hands and picked up her bag, placing it onto her shoulders. After what happened yesterday at the village, the girl was reluctant to leave the bag by itself. She left the small bathroom, her black zorrba boots making a dull thumping noise on the wooden floors, and took a look around the small house. She had decided it was best to stay on the move as much as she could. Today she was going to find out what Lady Sakura knew about the dragon ball, and then she was going to leave. Either for home, or to continue on her search. Bulma had never lost her determination before and she wasn't about to start any time soon. Shutting the door behind her, she stepped out into the small village and looking up to her left, she could still see the left over smoke from the incident at the Eastern village yesterday.

"Bulma, there you are. I'm glad you're up," Lady Sakura said, gaining Bulma's attention as she looked at the older woman. "Thank you for your help yesterday, you've proven yourself a good fighter."

"Thank you. Lady Sakura, I really need to be going soon. I can only stay for so long, but I really wish to learn what you know about the dragon ball," Bulma said quickly, hoping she wasn't offending the old woman. That was the last thing she needed right now. But Lady Sakura just looked amused and motioned for Bulma to walk with her. The two made their way through the village, Lady Sakura taking her through the courtyard and right by the fountain.

"I've already explained that our village has very ancient customs, and we believe in the spirits. There is a sprit of the moon, stars, sun, and even the Earth itself and they all come together to make a great circle that we live in. We try to do right by them and abide by them, and to give thanks for the things they have given to us. This village used to have a Seer, and though he is long gone by now, he was very spiritual and brought magic into this village," Lady Sakura started, her eyes brightening at the memory. Bulma listened patiently, not spiritual herself so that part didn't much interest her, but she was intrigued about this seer.

"Did he bring the dragon ball into the village then?" Bulma asked, but Lady Sakura only smiled and shook her head.

"No, but he was the one who found the dragon ball. The spirits guided him to it and sent him visions. There is a legend that the Earth was appointed a Guardian by the star spirits, and the Guardian was mighty. His job was to protect the balance of Earth and protect the wellspring of life," Lady Sakura explained, getting more excited the more she spoke. Bulma blinked a few times in confusion, stopping for a second.

"Is it just a legend, or is there really a Guardian? Who is he anyway?" she asked the village elder.

"Nobody knows who he is, all that is known is that he is not from this Earth and he is only known as the Guardian. It's only a legend if you do not _believe._ The dragon balls are his creation, something from what I can only assume is from his own planet. There are seven in all, and they were created to give the humans a goal to work towards, and they're powerful and very magical," Lady Sakura finished, looking out towards the mountains. Bulma started walking again, getting excited as well.

"So there's seven of them?" she asked, a wide grin on her face. "And I knew they were magical! I could feel it. What happens when all seven are gathered?"

"The dragon balls are scattered across the Earth, and it is said that all seven can only be found by people with a strong spirit, heart, and good intention. Once gathered, a mighty dragon comes forth to grant a single wish to whomever awakens him. With that kind of power, the Seer decided it best that we aid the spirits in helping to keep the dragon ball safe until we could pass it along to someone worthy," Lady Sakura told her. Bulma caught on then.

"And that's when my father came along," she said with a smile. Lady Sakura nodded.

"He helped us when we were in dire need of it, and it was agreed that he was sent our way by the spirits so that he may help us and so that we may finally pass on dragon ball. We thought he made a good keeper since he had no interest in the dragon ball. I don't think I have to tell you what could happen if someone with evil intentions were to make a wish upon them," the old woman finished, crossing her arms and stopping on the path, sighing a little. "I still think we made the right choice."

"I think you did, too," Bulma agreed with a smile. "Do you know where the other six are?" Bulma asked, hopeful. Lady Sakura looked thoughtful and seemed to be thinking about it.

"There are a series of caves east from here, and last I heard that's where one of them was located. Though I'm not sure which number. The only other dragon ball that I'm aware of is the one that Master Gohan won in one of the World's Martial Arts tournament, the four star ball I believe," Lady Sakura answered. That name rang a bell in Bulma's head as she thought on it for a moment.

"Oh! He's a really famous martial artist! Where does he live?" Bulma asked, excited to get going once more.

"Master Gohan lives in Hokkaido, and you'll be on his property long before you reach his house. Though he's gone dark these past few years, I wonder if he's finally retired," Lady Sakura mused. Bulma's mind was racing, and she was so excited she could barely stand it.

"Do you have maps?" Bulma suddenly asked, earning a nod from Lady Sakura. "Could you show me exactly where these caves are? As well as Master Gohan's location?" the blue haired heiress asked, trying not to bounce up and down with excitement. Lady Sakura smiled and nodded, motioning for Bulma to follow her as she headed back into town.

* * *

Vegeta stared out at the ruins before him, his eyes trailing over the blazing fires and the twisting smoke rising like black snakes into the dull orange sky. His face showed absolutely no emotion and his eyes were colder still, taking in the sight of the destruction he and Nappa had caused. They had arrived on Solaris IV a few hours ago, and just finished clearing out the population. Normally it would take at least a day to clear a planet as big as Solaris IV, but Vegeta was not in a proper fighting mood. The only reprieve Vegeta could give the Solarians was a quick and painless death, which he did. Nappa stood next to him with a dissatisfied look on his face, and Vegeta could understand why. This was not how Saiyans were meant to fight. There was a scratching to Vegeta's left and he looked down, staring into the eyes of a wounded survivor. Vegeta frowned and stared at the pathetic scene before him, a thin hand reaching out to wrap around Vegeta's leg.

"I don't…understand," the heavily wounded Solarian choked out. Their translucent skin had always creeped Vegeta out, and even more so now that this man was half dead. Vegeta could literally see a few organs inside of this one's body that had been damaged and were openly bleeding, and blood vessels that were broken and causing random spots of a light shade of green and blue to cover patches of his skin. Wide orange eyes stared at Vegeta in confusion and devastation. "Why?" he asked, gasping for breath.

"I don't have an answer that will satisfy you, and you know that. So why are you asking?" Vegeta responded, narrowing his eyes at the Solarian. "Your race was doomed the moment you came under contract with Frieza, as every race does," Vegeta said curtly, anger fluttering through him.

"It's wrong…" the Solarian wheezed out, letting go of Vegeta's leg and falling to the ground, falling into a cough fit as he spit up blood. Nappa watched but didn't say anything as he stared at the Solarian, and then at Vegeta.

"Your sense of morality doesn't have an affect on me," Vegeta said bluntly. "I can kill you quickly, or I can let you suffer. The choice is yours," Vegeta finished, hoping he opted for a quick death. It wasn't the Saiyan way to leave your opponent on the verge of death. Then again, this entire day wasn't exactly up to Saiyan standards. Struggling to breathe as he rolled over on his back, the Solarian twitched and shook his head.

"Kill me, then. Frieza will pay for his crimes…just as those that follow him will," the Solarian said with surprising determination. Vegeta grunted and leaned down, placing a hand on the Solarian's chest, right over his heart, Vegeta gathered his Ki in the palm of his hand.

"Don't preach on your death bed, it tends to fall on deaf ears," Vegeta stated, blasting a large golden Ki ball straight through the Solarian's heart. The Solarian's eyes widened for a second, before the life completely drained out of him and he slumped completely onto the ground, dead. Vegeta stood up, slightly disgusted with the entire mission and took another look around.

"We're not supposed to fight opponents who don't have the strength to fight back," Nappa said quietly. Vegeta looked at the older Saiyan out of the corner of his eye.

"That ended as soon as Vegetasei came under Frieza's rule," Vegeta responded, turning to head back to the pod. He didn't want to stay on the now barren planet any longer then he had to. Nappa turned to follow the Prince, taking a look at the dead Solarians on the ground and the smoke in the distance.

"It's not our way," Nappa muttered under his breath.


	5. Lullaby

**Author's Note:** Hello! Fifth installment. Wooh. I hope you guys are liking it so far. This chapter finally introduces my version of the Saiyan Language. Glossary of sayings and terms will be at the end of the story. As far as the language goes, you'll notice a few things. Some of the language and words I've taken from the Vulcan language from the Star Trek universe. The rest of it is a combination of Latin and Celtic. I thought it fit well when it was all combined and added onto my own made up part of their language. If you'd like to see how I created the language and what not, you can head over to the headquarters for this project and click on the 'Exobiology' tab for all things Alien, including languages, culture, history, customs, traditions, etc.

I hope you enjoy! Leave me a review, I'd love to hear from you! (:

**ryuukatsu-project . webs . com**

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, I don't own it.

* * *

**Primadonna  
**_Chapter Five: Lullaby_

_An eleven-year old Prince eyed his father's throne with awe, as he always did whenever he was in the throne room. Stepping up onto the platform, he gazed at the chair in wonder. How a chair could hold so much significance, Vegeta would never know. But this chair wasn't just a silly chair; it was a title. This was the King's chair, and Vegeta knew that some day he would be the one to sit there. The engraved crimson red symbol of the Royal Family stood out fiercely against the plated gold, being the center of attention in the whole room._

Vegeta marveled at the chair a moment longer, and then looked behind it to see his father with his back turned to him, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood tall and proud, looking out over the kingdom through the massive floor to ceiling windows. Vegeta squared his shoulders and walked up to his father, standing next to him to look out at the setting sun, as fiery red as the royal family symbol.

"_You wanted to see me, Father?" Vegeta asked, keeping his eyes on the horizon. King Vegeta turned his head only a little to gaze at the young Prince before staring out of the window once more._

"_What do you think of Frieza, and his reign?" King Vegeta asked bluntly. The young Prince was smarter than anyone gave him credit for, even at such an early age. It was remarkable, and the King knew very well that Prince Vegeta didn't like when people treated him like a child. He wanted to be treated like an adult, and King Vegeta would abide as much as he could._

"_That Feihan has no business running the Saiyan Empire," the Prince said without hesitation. King Vegeta looked over his shoulder to see one of Frieza's men lumbering about with a Saiyan Elite, no doubt trying very hard to listen on the King's conversation. "He doesn't know what it means to have honor. He's a tyrant, and I wish you would kill him already," Prince Vegeta finished hotly. King Vegeta smirked at his son's words and bent down so that they were the same height. Grabbing a hold of Prince Vegeta's shoulders, he turned his son towards him._

"_I have no doubt that you will make a fine King, but you've got to reign in that temper and impatience of yours," the King explained, knowing that the Prince had to physically stop himself from rolling his eyes. "You are already so independent and willing to learn, and I believe you feel…" the King trailed off, trying to think of the right word. There wasn't a word he could find in common tongue, however, so he used the Saiyan's own term. "I believe you feel vaikaya and dena-val for your people and for the Empire." The King finished. Prince Vegeta stared at his father, nodding his head. "But there is still so much you have to learn. There are things you don't understand."_

"_I would understand them if you would just explain them, Father," Vegeta said hotly. "Do you think me incapable of it?" Vegeta asked, sulking a little._

"_Not at all. I will explain when I feel that I am ready to explain them, and you will wait patiently," King Vegeta explained, his undertone a threatening one that the Prince knew well. "Now, tell me what happened in the gardens today," the King commanded, thankful of the change of subject. Dark thoughts and depressing situations were weighing heavier and heavier on the King's shoulders, and it was a nice change to deal with something as trivial as his son's misbehavior. The young Prince scowled and looked away from his father, glaring out of the window now._

"_We were battling! And…well, Tarble stepped out of line," Vegeta explained sourly. Tarble, the Prince's older brother, was the black sheep of the family. Everyone knew it, and sometimes it just made the young Prince extremely volatile and aggressive._

"_Ah, I take it you were the Captain of this battle of yours," the King encouraged, earning a fervent nod from his son. "And when Tarble stepped out of line, what did you do?"_

"_What you're supposed to do. I took the fall for it, but…the opposing army didn't want to abide by that. Diedren said that Tarble should be excluded from the battle because…because he wasn't a proper Saiyan," Vegeta said hotly, getting mad all over again. The King could feel the energy rising in his son, and he had to hold back a smile._

"_And that wasn't very nice of Diedren," the King said, motioning for Vegeta to continue._

"_He insisted, even after I explained proper protocol. He said protocol didn't apply to a Saiyan who couldn't fight like one. And…well…" the Prince explained, trailing off._

"_So you attacked Diedren in a non-game-like fashion, did you?" King Vegeta finished for his son. Vegeta scowled again and refused to look at his father._

"_He insulted the royal family, I couldn't let him get away with it," Prince Vegeta said quietly, not apologizing for his wrongdoing. King Vegeta stood and crossed his arms, trying to convey disappointment, though probably not doing it very well. After all, he wasn't really upset with his son. If he were in the young Vegeta's place, he'd do the same thing._

"_I wonder where you get your temper from, boy," the King said, trying to think of something to say that would let Vegeta know he couldn't go around attacking whoever he wanted. A voice interrupted his thoughts, however, that set his blood on fire whenever he heard it._

"_Well, he didn't get it from me. So that only leaves his father," her voice said, crystal clear like a breeze in paradise. Both Vegeta's turned to stare at the Queen's approach, although nearly everyone in the hall was staring. And how could they not? She was the very air of radiance, and everything a Queen ought to be. Long black hair fell in loose curls all the way down her back; a dress made of white layered silk and lace adorned her body, and the gold plated bicep band with the royal family's red insignia engraved into it. And on top of her head was a clear crystallized diadem, a single red jewel in the front that shone in the light._

_Her tail unwrapped from around her waist to fall behind her, relaxed, as she stepped up onto the podium and up to her husband. Placing her fingertips against her temple, she lowered her hand until it was outstretched before the king. "Gla-tor nash-va, Ashal-Veh," the Queen said quietly, her husband repeating her words as she stood next to him. "And what do we have here?" she asked, smiling knowingly at her youngest son, who blushed and looked away as quickly as possible._

"_It seems the young Prince has gotten into a scuffle with Diedren, for insulting Tarble," King Vegeta explained._

"_Ah, a young trouble maker. Tsk, tsk. Whatever shall we do with you?" the Queen asked teasingly, and even laughing as her son's face turned bright red in embarrassment. "Don't go too hard on him, Adun."_

"_Then what do you suggest?" King Vegeta asked her, turning his head to catch her eye, however, something else caught his eye instead. The man that was lingering about that was apart of Frieza's team, the King knew that this one was always around the royal family. Normally the King forgot about him completely, but he became incredibly noticeable whenever the Queen was in the room. He openly stared at her, gaping at her even. The King watched with a rising anger as those beady eyes watched every movement his life mate made. Everyone stared at his Adun'A, because she was the most beloved Queen. Everyone loved her and she loved the Kingdom and everyone in it. But this man, this low-life scoundrel, stared at her in a way that the others dared not to._

"_Adun?" his mate's voice said, curiously as she captured his attention. Both the Prince and his mother stared at the King, confused. "You're glaring off into space like you want to tear a hole through it," she said with a slight smile. "Everything all right?" she asked._

"_Yes, I'm fine. Just got lost in thought, I guess," he said apologetically, staring down at his son again and slipping an arm around the Queen's waist. "Now then, Vegeta, I suppose I can let you off with a warning this time. Even though you were defending Tarble, you don't just start fights. You're a Prince, and you have to act like it. Do you understand me?" he asked, staring hard at his son, who fidgeted a little under his gaze._

"_Yes, Father," Vegeta said quickly. "Run along now, I need to speak with your mother."_

"_Everything okay?" she asked him, a small frown adorning her face._

"_Go on," the King finished, talking to his son. Vegeta nodded and turned, only to be stopped by his mother._

"_And just where do you think you're going without saying goodbye?" she asked him. Vegeta's face turned red as she leaned down and presented her cheek to him._

"_Mother…" he mumbled, but sighed and leaned forward, kissing his mother on the cheek before scowling and heading off.  
_

Vegeta's eyes opened and he breathed deeply, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room almost immediately. He knew what day it was and wished he could just sleep away the entire day. Not that he could ever really escape in his dreams, because they wound up turning into nightmares. Any other day and Vegeta could forget that his mother existed. Today, however, was the anniversary of her death. It had been six years since the Queen's passing, and Vegeta had fought hard to erase her from his memory. On this day, however, she always managed to creep up. Starting with his dreams. Vegeta let out a quiet breath of air and turned over on his palette so his back was to Nappa, staring hard at the wall next to him.

"Mother…" he whispered, continuing to stare at the wall. He didn't know what time it was, but he wasn't going to fall asleep again. Once he was up, he was up. So he would wait until Nappa awoke, and then he would lock himself away in the training programs and pray that Frieza would leave him alone until tomorrow.

* * *

The blue haired heiress let out a gust of air as she sat down on a flat rock, totally winded and exhausted. She had been climbing this mountain all day and she didn't seem to be getting any closer to the cluster of caves. And that was because the caves weren't even on the top of the mountain, but in the valley on the other side of it. Bulma groaned and leaned on her back, letting the wind cool the sweat on her face.

"I'm too pretty to be doing this kind of crap!" the girl complained loudly, crossing her arms and breathing deeply. She lay there for a few minutes in silence before sitting up and pulling her bag close to her, opening it up and grabbing her box of capsules. She looked through the inventory on the bottom of the box lid, and then grabbed the right capsule and pressed the button, throwing the capsule next to her. It exploded to reveal a small basket that was undoubtedly filled with her mother's delicious cooking, and Bulma was starving. Eating her share in silence, she packed away the food once she was finished and stored everything back into the capsule, tucking the box back into her bag. Standing up and brushing away the dust and dirt off of her jeans, she felt a little better, and began her slow trek back up the mountains.

* * *

That lullaby, _her lullaby_, was echoing within the walls of the Prince's head. Try as he might, no matter how many hours he spent fighting in the simulation room, he couldn't concentrate. He watched as the world around him moved in slow motion, flashes of images binding themselves to his eyelids, forcing him to relive the past he so wish he could forget every time he needed to blink. He started to feel like the room was getting smaller and smaller, and finally after five hours, he had to shut off the simulation and step out of the room in fear of approaching claustrophobia. The engine of the ship hummed through the walls and Vegeta desperately tried to concentrate on it, the echo of his mother's voice singing her lullaby still strong in his head. It wasn't just a lullaby, but it was _her_ song. The song that was sung to the King, to both of her sons, and to the Kingdom whenever the funeral rituals were being performed. He headed back towards his room, ignoring anyone who passed him in the corridor and praying nobody would stop him along the way.

_What can you see on the horizon? Why do the white birds call?_

He watched with no emotion as his mother's image seemed to form in the corridor with him, smiling at him, and Vegeta was thankful nobody was in this part of the ship now. Leaning against the wall and squeezing his eyes shut, he concentrated on the reality around him.

_Across the sea, a pale moon rises. The ships have come to carry you home._

The King's bed stood with a suddenly oppressive height when Vegeta entered that room six and a half years ago, only eleven years old then. The storms raged on outside and Vegeta could hear his father weeping. The Queen lay as still as a stone, spread across the bed like a fallen angel. Her eyes were unseeing, but were wide open as if she could see everything anyways.

_And all will turn to silver glass. A light on the water._

"Vegeta?" Nappa asked, watching with a frown as Vegeta leaned heavily against the wall, his eyes wide and staring off into nothing. It looked like he had stopped breathing all together, and with the exception of the slight shaking that had taken over the Prince's body; he looked like a statue.

_All souls pass into the West._

The white dress his mother was wearing was covered in a deep red liquid, her blood tainting her dress and turning it crimson, and then pink as the color faded out. The gaping wound in her stomach looked angry and unforgiving, and Vegeta could only stare with wide eyes as his father cradled the Queen. Vegeta could only watch with stunned silence as he watched the life bond break his father. Vegeta blinked and he realized somebody was shaking him and shouting his name. Shaking off the memory, Vegeta took a step back and shoved Nappa away from him.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Vegeta asked angrily, staring hard at Nappa.

"You were thinking about her, weren't you?" he asked quietly. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and stalked past the big brute, intent on ignoring him.

* * *

She screamed as another swarm of birds surrounded her, the large black birds intent on either making her fall down the mountains or gouging her eyes out. She gripped onto the mountainside and was half running up the mountain, doing her best to maintain her balance and her grip. Swatting another bird away from her face, she winced as talon dug into her arm. Her lungs were burning and her legs were aching, but she pushed forward as she scrambled up the top of the mountain. A swarm of birds surrounded her and Bulma screamed out, swatting them away. She lost her footing and toppled forwards over the mountain, the drop being a lot steeper than Bulma anticipated.

She screamed out as she fell, the birds finally pulling away as Bulma desperately tried to grasp onto the mountainside again. Her hands scraped against the rocks and her body finally collided hard with it, still tumbling downwards. Pulling her tanto blade from her hip, she dug it into the rock side, dragging it down with her. She eventually came to a stop and smacked once more into the side of the mountain rather hard, before finally coming to a stop. Gasping for breath and shaking, the frightened teen tried to get a hold of herself. She didn't even realize she was sobbing until now, and now that she knew it, her throat started to throb in pain.

The blue haired heiress eventually got a grip on herself, and began the last of her descent into the valley. She could see a few cave openings below her, and decided she was going to open up a capsule house as soon as she got inside of one to survey the damage. And then she was going to take a long bath and a long nap, determined not to let this incident freak her out.

There was no turning back now.

* * *

**Saiyan Glossary:**

**Feihan:** boss/tyrant. this is used in a negative context, and what Vegeta calls Freeza. A mesh of my own word and Vulcan.  
**Gla-tor nash-veh:** I wanted the Saiyans to have a different way of showing affection in public. I don't see them as showing that much affection in public, but I still believe them to have a strong bond with their mates. This phrase is sort of the equivalent of 'I See You' from the movie Avatar. It basically means I see into your soul, as only I can do. A mesh of Vulcan and Latin.  
**Ashal-Veh:** means 'beloved'. The Saiyans don't have a translation for the word 'love'. They don't use that word in their society. This is strictly Vulcan.  
**Adun:** Mate (male), basically the equivalent of 'husband'. This word is strictly Vulcan.  
**Adun'a:** Mate (female), basically the equivalent of 'wife'. This word is strictly Vulcan.

Also, the lullaby used for the Queen is _Into the West by Annie Lennox_. I was going to just make up a lullaby, but anything I could come up with didn't seem too realistic given the type of Queen she was, and the song just happened to fit. I'm currently working on translating it to Saiyan. Give it a listen if you'd like.


	6. Evaluation - Part 1

**Author's Note:** So we're at chapter six now. Wooh. Next chapter is the big fight scene between Vegeta and some computer generated opponents. Huzzah! Thanks so much for the reviews, I really appreciate it. I'm really excited for this chapter because I finally get to start introducing my change to the Saiyans! If you notice in the series, everybody fights pretty much the same way. There's some fast fist fighting and everyone uses some sort of ki blast, which is great. But I added personal styles to everyone, as well as reinvent the way everyone uses their energy. A huge problem I had with the show was that everybody had such godmodding powers that they could blow up a planet with their finger, and it was just a bit ridiculous. So there is a limit to the way people use their energy and how much they can use at once and in one fight. Which is why you'll notice the weapons, and the special way they are used. But you'll find out as you read on, and I hope you like it! And remember any changes or problems or anything I've done to this series and why can be found on the website. (:

**Project Headquarters: ryuukatsu-project . webs . com**

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize it, I don't own it.

* * *

**Primadonna**  
_Chapter Six: Evaluation - Part One  
_

Bulma Briefs let out a sigh of relief as she slid further into the hot bubbling water of her bathtub, ignoring the slight sting from the wounds on her back and arms. After finding an empty cave, Bulma had set up a Capsule house and disinfected her wounds as best as she could. Nothing sucked more than infected scratches, after all. And after a call to her mother filled with complaints and ranting, Bulma settled on taking a nap and then bathing. Thinking back on her incident earlier, Bulma was still clearly annoyed. Those birds and the tumble down the cliff side had ruined not only her shirt, but her pants as well, and Bulma hated it when her clothes got ruined. The icing on the cake was she had wasted time tending to her wounds and sleeping when she could have been searching for a dragon ball.

Speaking of which, Bulma began to wonder how she should go about obtaining the dragon ball. She knew it was somewhere in this cave system, but there were over thirty caves in this place alone, and nobody said the dragon ball was even in this particular system. It could very well be in the neighboring cave system.

"Jeez, old lady, couldn't you come up with something better than 'some caves' I found a hundred years ago?" Bulma grumbled to herself, still annoyed. Truthfully, Bulma would probably be on her way home if it wasn't for Lady Sakura, but Bulma's patience was about as thin as it got, and so she would curse anything and everything that kept her from the dragon ball. Lady Sakura, birds, cliff side, and caves included. Standing up and grabbing the fluffy pink towel and wrapping it around herself, Bulma stepped out of the tub and began to drain the water. A smaller pink towel was wrapped securely around locks that looked darker than usual when they were soaking wet, and secured the small towel to the top of her head with a twist as Bulma left her bathroom.

The heiress's mind whirled as she quickly went into the bedroom and began to pull her new set of clothes out of the suitcase she opened from the capsule, thinking about the area she was in. The Iwate Prefecture wasn't a heavily populated area, despite how large it was. As far as attractions went, people mostly came here for the Buddhist temples of Hiraizumi, Tenshochi, and Morioka Castle in the capital city. And then something came to Bulma that made a huge grin appear on her face. Pulling on her boots, she grabbed her phone off of the counter and dialed the number of the only real frenemy she's known since preschool.

"Bulma dear? Is that really you?" Natsumi's fake sweet voice spoke into the phone. Bulma refrained from rolling her eyes and offered her own fake sweet voice.

"Of course! Who else would it be, silly? How are you?" Bulma asked nicely, grabbing her bracelet and leaving her bedroom, moving into the small living room instead and sitting down on the plush couch.

"Well, I'm doing great! Enjoying my vacation, you know. Lying on the beach, getting my beach body, you know," Natsumi said lightly. This time Bulma did roll her eyes. One thing Natsumi held over Bulma was her tan, not that Bulma cared. She was more than aware what the sun did your skin, and while the sun was great in moderation, Natsumi was going to wind up with skin cancer when she was older. Which put Bulma in a pleasant mood. As for Natsumi's 'beach body', it was a pathetic attempt to catch up to Bulma's body that she's been carefully sculpting since she was old enough to understand how to do yoga and martial arts. "What about you?"

"Oh, well I'm enjoying my vacation as well. I decided to leave West City and take a tour of Honshu, and probably Hokkaido. I called because I'm actually in your neck of the area, per say. I'm pretty close to the Buddhist temples of Hiraizumi," Bulma explained, careful with her words. Natsumi's family has been competing with Bulma's for the longest time. They also created technology and helped to restore the natural Earth, and one of those projects was protecting the Hiraizumi temples, a huge project that Natsumi's family was at the head at.

"Ahh, well that's very exciting. I hope you enjoy your time there. My father worked very hard to make sure those temples were kept up properly, you know. Without him, you wouldn't be able to enjoy them," Natsumi bragged. Bulma stopped herself from making a gagging noise. In fact, she almost regretted making this phone call. She hated dealing with Natsumi on any day, but she especially hated it when Bulma had to literally hand her something to boast about. Natsumi dropped names faster than she could pick them up, something that Bunny taught Bulma never to do. An elegant and classy woman doesn't drop names or be pretentious by trying to make yourself seem important by the people you know.

"I am enjoying myself, thank you," Bulma forced out, gripping the phone a little tighter in her hand. "But I actually saw something I was a bit curious about, you know the legend of how the Iwate got its name, yes?" Bulma asked sweetly, earning a quick 'of course!' from Natsumi. "Well, you know the rock that supposedly has the devil's hand print on it was lost back in 2010, but it's said that it's located near one of those shrines. But for the life of me, I can't remember which one it was. I only ask because I know that's the one I really want to visit, I also heard it's the nicest one," Bulma pandered the girl's ego, tapping her foot with annoyance against the floor.

"Yeah, I remember something about that. But why do you ask? It's not like you're going to go looking for it or anything crazy like that, are you?" Natsumi asked curiously. Of course, if Bulma said yes then Natsumi would have her father out here faster than Bulma could blink, claiming that they would find the devil's hand print before the Capsule Corporation family could.

"Of course not. I'm on vacation, not to work," Bulma answered reassuringly, laughing a little as well. "I just thought it was interesting. You know how big I am on history and stuff, plus, like I said…I heard that temple was the prettiest one."

"I see…" Natsumi said, hesitating a little. "Takkoku Temple, is the one you're referring to, then," Natsumi answered. "It's actually just outside of Hiraizumi, and it's located in a volcanic cave of ashes. And you're right, it is the prettiest," she finished firmly. Bulma smiled and stood up, faking a yawn.

"Ah, so that's the one. Well, I'll see about getting there either today or tomorrow. Thank you Natsumi, and I hope you have a great vacation. I'll talk to you soon, okay?" Bulma told her, saying goodbye once more to Natsumi before hanging up the phone. Bulma glared at it as soon as she pressed 'End Call'. "Bitch…" the heiress mumbled under her breath. To be honest, Bulma had no idea if what she was doing was the right thing. On the one hand, if the dragon balls are as old as Lady Sakura said they are, they could very well be incredibly old artifacts. And since the devil's rock with his hand print disappeared from the base of Mount Iwate so many years ago, Bulma could only guess why. At the very least, it was a better lead than she had a few minutes ago.

Opening the fridge, Bulma decided to make lunch. She'd head out as soon as she finished for the temple, and begin her search. She didn't trust Natsumi, but she did know her rather well. Even despite Bulma's assurances, no doubt Natsumi would have her father send out a team to investigate the area as soon as possible.

* * *

"Must you make so much noise?" a man barked out, turning dark eyes on his companion. Mai pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Yes, I must. Shu, you're being ridiculous. The girl has no idea we're following her. You really need to lighten up," Mai told him, adjusting her seat on the flat rock surface she was currently sitting on. Shu had chosen a more 'covert' position that consisted of laying flat on his stomach in the dirt, peering over the cliff and down at the girl as she got her things ready. The wind blew Mai's long black hair back as she gathered in her hands and put it in a high ponytail. Shu's long auburn hair was already pulled up into its traditional ninja high ponytail as well. Mai preferred her battle uniform while Shu was constantly wearing his ninja gear, leaving everything but his eyes covered by black fabric or black armor.

"This girl is smarter than you give her credit for. She managed to sneak a dragon ball from right under you, remember?" Shu asked Mai, ignoring the harsh glare she gave in return.

"At the time I didn't know who she was, so don't start that with me again!" Mai argued back, raising her voice and earning a glare from Shu.

"I don't want her to know we're following her, and believe me, if we aren't careful she will know. Regardless of what happened last time, I'd rather not have the mistake repeated. She'll take us to the next ball, and then we'll kill her," Shu explained. Mai rolled her eyes at her companion and placed her head in her hand. "You're sure she only knows jujitsu?"

"That's the only thing she used on me. So if she knows other techniques, she hasn't shown them yet," Mai explained tiredly. She knew the risk and annoyances that came with taking on this job from Emperor Pilaf, but the benefits outweighed the risks here. But working with Shu was still a complete pain in Mai's ass. Mai liked to go in with guns blazing and fight face to face with her enemy. Shu liked to walk within the shadows and attack quietly from behind, by himself or with a small team of equally silent killers. This was why Mai didn't work with ninjas. Unfortunately, Shu was hand picked by Emperor Pilaf to work alongside Mai, so she had to put up with the annoying twerp.

She supposed he was good at what he does, considering how he single handedly destroyed the ninja village he trained at, leaving the old temple in complete ruins and the head master dead at the Emperor's feet. Regardless, Shu's intense attitude was a bit annoying to deal with. Shu, likewise, didn't enjoy working with Mai. She was loud and impulsive, and would rather give away their position and make noise than to just shut up and get the job done properly. Luckily, Mai messed up last time, and now Shu was given the leader position. Which meant that Mai had to put up with Shu and his ninja way of life.

"She's on the move," Shu whispered, standing up and crouching, rushing alongside the cliff side. Mai stood up and followed, pulling out a Capsule box. "I'll follow her on foot. You stay back in the air craft, and make sure you aren't seen," Shu told her, looking over his shoulder. Mai rolled her eyes but nodded, stopping and popping the top to the capsule and throwing it, a black hover craft forming in the capsule's place. Shu left Mai to it and took off running towards the cliff side, using his legs to propel himself off the edge of it. Keeping his legs together and his arms tucked into his sides, he sped towards the ground below. At the last minute, Shu released his arms from his side and placed them in front of him, a blast of air producing from the inside of his wrist and leveling him with the ground.

He sped parallel to the ground for a few feet before he let himself fall into a barrel roll, falling right back into a quick run. Using his momentum and training, he sprinted along the wall of the small canyon, keeping to the shadows. The girl was speeding pretty fast, but Shu's eyesight was better than most and it was easy to keep an eye on her. She turned out of the canyon and onto the main road, and Shu took to the trees where he could move more easily without being seen, not to mention he could move faster.

* * *

"What's with the fight evaluation?" Nappa asked the Prince, taking a seat next to him on the bench. The young Prince turned dark eyes on the older Saiyan, and then back towards the fight simulation room.

"Hell if I know. Maybe they're doing tryouts for the Ginyu Force again," Vegeta offered with a shrug. Vegeta didn't give a damn about the Ginyu Force. They claimed to be the toughest group of men that Frieza had, and was only used in emergencies. They were an 'elite' team as far as Frieza's men were concerned, but Vegeta thought they were the most ridiculous group of fighters he had ever seen. They pranced around like a couple of dancers rather than fighters, and their inability to remove their lips from Frieza's ass just annoyed Vegeta.

"Actually, today is going to be a bit more fun than that. Frieza is tired of failure and has too many men, and rumor has it he set up a fight evaluation. Those that impress him get to live. Those that don't…well, I'm sure you know," a soldier sitting on the opposite side of Vegeta told them quietly. Vegeta looked at the purple skinned alien next to him and frowned. The simulation room was rather large and had a circular pad with black panels in the center of the room, and on the wall was about every weapon anybody could think of, Vegeta being rather familiar with a lot of them.

"You sure?" Nappa asked the alien, named Bui, who quite honestly reminded Vegeta of some kind of lizard.

"Overheard Zarbon and Dodoria talk about it, so I'm pretty sure," Bui responded, crossing his arms as the doors to the watching arena opened. Raditz stepped through, looking haggard and annoyed as he yanked his untamed hair into a low ponytail. Nearly shoving Bui aside, he took his place next to Vegeta and grunted his greeting.

"Bad morning, Raditz?" Vegeta asked, amused.

"If I have to listen to one more training squad complain about anything I'm going to go nuclear," he answered between clenched teeth. Oddly enough, the content of the longhaired Saiyan's problems reminded Vegeta of the guy's father, but he pushed the thought away. Bardock died with the rest of the Saiyans, so there was no point in bringing it up. Raditz seemed to pick up on it anyway and scoffed, shaking his head a little. "I sound like my father. Figures," he muttered. The door to the simulation room opened and the large group of warriors that were gathered around in the sitting area all watched as Frieza entered the room, Zarbon and Dodoria walking in behind him.

"I am only going to say this once, so make sure you're paying attention," the small tyrant announced, walking over to his floating throne that had been moved into the viewing room. Vegeta grit his teeth together in annoyance at the sight of Frieza, but he listened nonetheless. "It's come to my attention that our recruits are getting weaker and weaker. Working for me is not a guarantee, but a privilege. With that in mind, I've decided to make my force team a bit smaller and only reserved for the truly deserving. I have created a simulation which each and every one of you will complete, and you will be graded based on your performance, tactical skills, strength, stamina, and how you handle a win or a loss," Frieza explained, his eyes traveling swiftly over everyone in the room. "Zarbon will explain the rest and then we will get right to it. Zarbon, if you please."

"Of course, Sire. The men you will be facing, though computer programs, are stronger than the normal computer enemies. Because of this, you are not all expected to win against them, but winning isn't the point. If you manage to beat all of these opponents, then the odds are certainly in your favor. But do not despair if you cannot defeat these enemies, because as I said, it's not the point," Zarbon explained, placing his arms behind his back. "You will each come up one by one and choose only three weapons from the wall, and then begin the simulation. Once you've finished, you will bow to Lord Frieza, pledge your allegiance, and then you may return to the viewing area. Further instructions will continue once everyone has finished."

"Thank you, Zarbon," Frieza said, settling himself into the floating throne. Vegeta glared in annoyance at the three men, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. The tip of his tail, though wrapped around his waist, twitched with agitation and anticipation. If it was a show Frieza wanted, it was a show Frieza would get. Frieza caught on to the Prince's glare and stared back, a small smirk on his face. "Vegeta, you're up first," he said slowly. All heads turned to look at Vegeta, who didn't lessen his glare. He stood up and ignored everyone, leaving the viewing area and stepping into the simulation room.

"Choose your three weapons carefully," Dodoria told him mockingly. Vegeta ignored the fat pink blob and walked up to the weapon wall, immediately grabbing the weapon that every Saiyan was taught to train with before anything else. Saiyans began their training as soon as they could stand up, and the first weapon they were given was a bō staff, and were taught that the staff was to represent their energy, and they had to learn to use their energy as if it were an extension of themselves and so the staff like an extension as well. Frieza had actually taken Vegeta's staff and had it replicated and turned into a more advanced version, not that it mattered. A bō staff was a bō staff. Frieza's version of the staff consisted of a metal cylinder with two buttons on either side, releasing metal staff on either side. You could use one end, or both if you wanted.

The next weapon Vegeta grabbed was a sword that Vegeta used often. Right above the handle was a sphere, which consisted of an interlocking chamber for the sword that separated it into twin blades. One could use it as a normal sword, as two, or use the locking chamber as a way to extend the length of one. Vegeta strapped it to his hip and grabbed his last weapon: a kyoketsu shoge knife and chain. Stepping onto the black pad in the center of the room, Vegeta kept his eyes narrowed on Frieza.

"Well, let's see what our young Vegeta can do," Frieza said with a frown on his face. Zarbon pressed the button to start the simulation, and the room around Vegeta went completely black. It only took a moment for the simulation setting to show up, and Vegeta was suddenly standing in the middle of a wasteland in some abandoned and destroyed temple ruins. The wind blew harshly, carrying grains of white sand that pelted the skin of the Prince, who ignored it and stayed in his defensive kata. The bō staff was in Vegeta's right hand and he kept it out in front of his torso, clicking the release buttons as the staff extended to its full length, and then he waited.

Everything in Vegeta's body was made for fighting, and as his muscles tightened in anticipation the Prince fell into a trance like state. His senses heightened and he closed his eyes, listening for any sound near him. The smallest shuffle to his right alerted him and his eyes snapped open, twirling the staff in his hand once before swinging it like a bat, the end coming into contact with his opponents face.

Onyx eyes took in the appearance of the opponent when they noticed the fighter didn't seem to feel the pain from the blow. He actually seemed to be made of sand, packed together so tightly that it formed a moving statuesque figure. A gust of air caught Vegeta's ear and he ducked down just as a sword was swung above his head. Using his hand as leverage he formed a hard circle in the sand, the bō staff acting as an extension of his leg as he swung it out, catching the legs of the two opponents and knocking them on their back. The Prince stood and backed away, getting a good look of the layout of the temple. More opponents were coming up from inside the ruined temple, and in the center was a much larger opponent who had an enormous saber attached to his hip. Despite the fact that he was made from sand, his eyes seemed to bore straight into Vegeta's.

"Kill him!" he shouted out, the amount of opponents doubling. Now standing before Vegeta was about forty opponents and more still coming from within the temple. Vegeta held the bō staff in one hand and the blade end of the kyoketsu shoge in the other, and braced himself. Taking a good look at everything around him, Vegeta let loose a noise between a deep growl and a low hiss, beckoning his opponents forward, canines glinting in the sun. He was, after all, born to do this.


End file.
